Throughout contemporary history, many (if not all) countries and nations have struggled with the question of the proper role of the state. No matter the form the government takes in a country it has undeniable responsibilities to the citizenry of the nation. This responsibility can range from the delegation of civil services to the protection of the people by means of the military. Ideally, in Canada the main function of the state is to provide public services to better the living conditions of the people, to maintain the economy, and to sustain a standing military force for protection. However, in Canada today, civil (government) service payrolls continue to rise beyond any private sector jobs, many public services suffer due to budget cuts and the military is so under funded that any money spent on it now is a waste. The article, "Rusted-out dune buggies" under fire" by Bruce Campion-Smith details how the state is misappropriating its funds in the military/government and failing in its duty to the people.
Firstly, one of the key factors in the irresponsibility of the state when it comes to distributing funds is the recent increase of government payrolls. Since November 1998, the federal government has increased its employ by 24% to 234 570 workers (Dabrowski, 1). Furthermore, federal employees have average wages 15.1% higher then others performing the same job for privately owned corporations, and benefits for federal government staff differs by 23.3% from private employees (Dabrowski, 1). Inherently, the current government is wasting the tax payer's money on pay increases for their own pockets. In a quote from Rick Casson, Canadian Alliance member of the House of Commons finance committee:.
"We cannot, as a country, continue to increase the amount of spending at the levels we have - spending is outpacing the economic growth by far. Sooner or later, it will come crashing down around this government's ears.
